The present invention relates generally to wall padding and more specifically to wall padding which is fire retardant.
Wall padding, for example, in gymnasiums or other athletic areas are well known. They typically include a core material with a covering, for example, vinyl, and some have rigid backings, for example, made of wood boards. The National Fire Protection Association ("NFPA") has a Life Safety Code, NFPA 101. Section 6-5.4 is Interior Wall or Ceiling Finish Classification according to the test results of NFPA 255, Standard Method of Tests of Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials. The classes are as follows:
______________________________________ Class Flame Spread Smoke Development ______________________________________ A 0 to 25 0 to 450 B 26 to 75 0 to 450 C 76 to 200 0 to 450 ______________________________________
A flame retardant wall padding available on the market is available from Porter Athletic Equipment Company and includes a foam core mounted on a oriented strand wooden board and covered with a VONAR flame-retardant inner liner and finally a cover of flame retardant-vinyl coated polyester. The structure is illustrated in FIG. 1. Tests of this product have produced a flame spread index of 65 and a smoke development index of 845. Although the flame index meets the Class B standard, the smoke development does not. The Vonar material is a cellular polychloroprene laminate on the foam core to act as a flame barrier.
The present invention is a wall padding having a core of open cell, low smoke, flame resistant polychloroprene, a cover of fire retardant vinyl on the core. The total padding having a flame spread index in the range of 0 to 25 and a smoke development index in the range of 0 to 450. The core is mounted to a board and the cover covers the padding and the adjacent portions of the board. The board is oriented strand wood. The core has a density of 3 to 5 pounds per cubic feet and preferably 5 to 6 pounds per cubic foot. The core has a thickness in the range of 1 to 3 inches. The cover of the vinyl laminated with a polyester fabric.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.